"And is that considered noble?"

"It is considered smart. It is considered at the worst far better than a
dead level of equality. Are all men equal in Altruria? Are they all alike
gifted or beautiful, or short or tall?"

"No, they are only equal in duties and in rights. But, as you said just
now, that is a very long story. Are they equal in nothing here?"

"They are equal in opportunities."

"Ah!" breathed the Altrurian, "I am glad to hear that."

I began to feel a little uneasy, and I was not quite sure that this last
assertion of mine would hold water. Everybody but ourselves had now left
the dining-room, and I saw the head-waiter eying us impatiently. I pushed
back my chair and said: "I'm sorry to seem to hurry you, but I should like
to show you a very pretty sunset effect we have here before it is too
dark. When we get back, I want to introduce you to a few of my friends. Of
course, I needn't tell you that there is a good deal of curiosity about
you, especially among the ladies."

"Yes, I found that the case in England, largely. It was the women who
cared most to meet me. I understand that in America society is managed
even more by women than it is in England."

"It's entirely in their hands," I said, with the satisfaction we all feel
in the fact. "We have no other leisure class. The richest men among us are
generally hard workers; devotion to business is the rule; but, as soon as
a man reaches the point where he can afford to pay for domestic service,